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Seven Deadly Books…I Mean Sins!

1. Greed. What is your most inexpensive book and most expensive book?Inexpensive: I’m not sure if I can pick just one. I’ve received several over the years as gifts and free review copies as well – so any that don’t cost me money are inexpensive!

Expensive: I enjoy vintage books, though I can’t often justify spending a lot of money on copies that I’m afraid to touch. But I did find a lovely copy of Andrew Lang’s Red Fairy Book at an antique store and shelled out around $30 for this copy from 1890. It’s in pretty decent condition too. I would love to have the rest of the colors from this time period, but I doubt if I found them all I’d be willing to invest the money.

2. Wrath. What author do you have a love/hate relationship with?
Charlaine Harris! I used to love her Sookie Stackhouse series – it was fresh, innovative and full of sexy vampires! Then each book began to repeat the same old story – Sookie gets beaten badly, somehow survives, still associates with the people who put her life in danger. Then there were more and more descriptions of her daily routine – I felt like each page was talking about her putting on her uniform for work, doing her hair and makeup, and oh my gourd I wanted to throw the books across the room! Sadly, I continued on as the quality of writing deteriorated and gave up after reading book 10. After investing so much time (and money into several hardcovers!), it was sad to give up but I just couldn’t take it anymore. I didn’t finish the series and ended up swapping all but the first five books, which I consider to be her best. It still saddens me to think of how that series went downhill (for me at least!)

3. Gluttony. What book have you deliciously devoured over and over with no shame?Blood & Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause. I am planning on re-reading it for the first time in a couple of years, but I absolutely love this book. I discovered it in middle school and after borrowing it from the library I immediately bought my own copy and it has to be the book I’ve re-read the most. It’s not life-changing, but totally engrossing. Maybe I’m nostalgic, but I’ll never get tired of this book. If you’re interested in young adult…well I guess it would be considered “paranormal romance”…check it out! Here’s a link to it on Amazon!

4. Sloth. What book have you neglected reading due to laziness?
Oh man, probably ALL of the classics. Okay, exaggerating a little, but I’m seriously lacking in my classical education. And there are some that I very much want to read (i.e. Moby Dick, Treasure Island, Wuthering Heights) and some that I don’t think I’ll bother with (sorry Steinbeck!)

*Side note: Does anyone else find that as an avid reader your friends, family, or even strangers, just assume that you’ve read every book ever? I constantly have people who are outright shocked that I haven’t read book x, y or z, especially where the classics are concerned! They say things like “Oh, you must have read East of Eden, what did you think?” Nope. Haven’t read it. I’m sorry, I read what I want to read, when I want to read it!

5. Pride. What book do you most talk about in order to sound like a very intellectual reader?
I don’t think I have anything that’s really intellectual – realistically the most intellectual books I’ve read are Ishmael and My Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. They both truly made me think about human life and how our society works and how desperately we need to change some aspects of how our societies and cultures function. However, I don’t really talk about those books. I’d say that I actually brag about the fact that I read (and loved) The Hobbit for the first time in fifth grade.

6. Lust. What attributes do you find most attractive in male or female characters?
Personality. I know it sounds cliché, but as a reader I have the freedom to imagine a character anyway I please. Even if you give me specific details (or a full-blown description of every inch of their body – anyone else run into that and roll their eyes?), I can choose to ignore that and make people as beautiful or ugly as I please. But it’s how the character talks and acts that makes them attractive. That’s what makes me want to really know them. I like my men a little snarky, a little stubborn, may be willing to fight – depending on the genre – but also with a sense of humor. A little sweet, but not overly so because then they just seem like those unrealistic, overly romantic, painfully dreamboats that internet memes are always going on about. You know…something like this:

That stuff just makes me roll my eyes.

7. Envy. What books would you most like to receive as gifts?
THESE

But in all honesty, I love books so much that any book is a wonderful gift. My amazon list is over 100 books, that that’s not even every book I’d like to own.